Tombstone Tuesday - Joseph Bullock

This is the tombstone of Joseph Bullock (August 11, 1905 - October 11, 1932). He was the youngest son of my great-great grandparents Andrew and Luvenia Bullock and is buried in the cemetery of Morning Star Holy Church in Vance County, NC. His mother Luvenia and sister Nancy are also buried in this cemetery.

Through oral history, I learned that Grandma Ven (Joseph's mother), purchased a car for her son to drive her to church. Like young men of any time frame who sometimes take advantage of car privileges given to them by their parents, Joseph, reportedly didn’t always show up to take his mother to church when she wanted to go. This car was possible purchased sometime during the mid to late 1920s. No doubt, Joseph's abuse of car priviledges created much friction in the Bullock household.

Joseph Bullock died as a young man on October 11, 1932 from “pulmonary tuberculosis” in the Jubilee Hospital, in Henderson, NC. Jubilee was the hospital for blacks or negroes during the time that Joseph Bullock died. He was attended by Dr. S. M. Beckford fore three days, October 9, 1932 to October 11, 1932 when Joseph died shortly before midnight at 11:25 PM.

Joseph's death certificate lists his age at death as 28, however, a date of birth is not listed on the certificate. Joseph's tombstone lists a date of birth as August 11, 1905 and date of death as October 11, 1932. If this is accurate, then he would have been age 27 when he died.

My maternal grandmother Emma and her younger siblings were living with Grandma Ven during the time of their uncle's death, but my grandmother does not recall this death. She was ten years old when her uncle died. My grandmother, does, however recall getting rides in the car with her uncle.